CSU volleyball team will play Purdue in NCAA Tournament

Nov. 25, 2012

CSU Volleyball Head Coach Tom Hilbert speaks to a full clubhouse at CB & Potts after the team received word that they had gained a spot in the NCAA Tournament Sunday afternoon at a watch party organized for the announcement. / Sam Noblett/The Coloradoan

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CSU’s volleyball team knew it was in the NCAA Tournament. But seeing it come up on television never gets old.

The Rams learned Sunday afternoon when pairings were announced that they will face Purdue in the first round of the tournament. The teams will play at 2:30 p.m. Friday in Tallahassee, Fla.

Florida State and Hofstra will play in the other match, and the survivor of the first two rounds advances to the regional in West Lafayette, Ind., interestingly the home of CSU’s first-round opponent.

“There are good teams there but I think they’re trying to get Purdue some way to get out,” CSU coach Tom Hilbert told a group gathered at C.B. & Potts for a watch party. “I think they gave them the wrong team.”

Purdue went 21-10 during the regular season and finished fifth in the Big Ten Conference.

The Rams, meanwhile, went 21-7 and won a share of the Mountain West Conference title, their fourth in a row. CSU also is making its 18th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

“It’s just been a tradition at CSU for 18 years now,” CSU senior Megan Plourde said. “It’s really cool to sit here and enjoy this moment. We’ve worked very hard and it’s paid off.”

Florida State is the ninth overall seed in the tournament, which seeded only the top 16. The Seminoles are 27-3, while Hofstra is 21-13.

Beyond the first-round matchup with the Boilermakers, Hilbert liked his team’s draw.

“It’s a fun cluster of teams because they are teams that good but not ridiculous,” Hilbert said. “It’s not insurmountable. Those teams are all good, but it’s not like we we’re playing against anybody we can’t go in against and play a good, competitive match.

“This isn’t one of those paths that we feel like we’re just happy to be here. We feel we can go compete. I’m excited.”

The Rams started this season slow, at one time sitting with a 7-5 record. That was after a five-set loss to defending national champion UCLA and a first-set loss at New Mexico in the conference opener.

CSU beat New Mexico on Friday night to clinch the share of the league title. It was the Rams’ eighth win in a row and 11th in their past 12 matches.

“I think we’re definitely at our peak right now, which is really good because you want to be at your best at the end of the season,” Plourde said. “Throughout the whole season, having those losses and ups and downs, it’s going to help in the long run.

“We’re been through so much and learned as a team through those experiences. I think we’ll go for a good run.”

CSU is 1-1 all-time against Purdue. The last meeting was in 2004 when the Boilermakers came to Fort Collins and beat the Rams in five sets in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.